A Cautionary Tale: The Doomed Gender Identity Clinic at Johns Hopkins Hospital
Authors: Alex S. Keuroghlian, Asa E. Radix
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2022)

EditorialsOctober 2022A Cautionary Tale: The Doomed Gender Identity Clinic at Johns Hopkins HospitalAlex S. Keuroghlian, MD, MPH and Asa E. Radix, MD, PhDAlex S. Keuroghlian, MD, MPHThe Fenway Institute, Harvard Medical School, and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts and Asa E. Radix, MD, PhDCallen-Lorde Community Health Center and NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New YorkAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M22-2636 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Magrath's article (1) documents the institutional circumstances culminating in the eventual closure of the Gender Identity Clinic (GIC) at Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) in 1979. His investigation included a review of archival letters, handwritten notes, meeting minutes, press releases, newspaper stories, and scientific articles from more than 5 decades. The article corrects long-standing, entrenched narratives that claimed that the GIC was shuttered because of objective scientific evidence, austerity measures, sensible risk aversion, or lone actors.Magrath presents a sobering reflection on the history of gender-affirming surgeries. He also presents a reminder that transphobia and reactionary politics continue to negatively affect ...References1. Magrath WJ. The fall of the nation's first gender-affirming surgery clinic. Ann Intern Med. 2022;175:1462-7. doi:10.7326/M22-1480 LinkGoogle Scholar2. Almazan AN, Keuroghlian AS. Association between gender-affirming surgeries and mental health outcomes. JAMA Surg. 2021;156:611-8. [PMID: 33909023] doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2021.0952 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Agochukwu-Mmonu N, Radix A, Zhao L, et al. Patient reported outcomes in genital gender-affirming surgery: the time is now. J Patient Rep Outcomes. 2022;6:39. doi:10.1186/s41687-022-00446-x CrossrefGoogle Scholar4. Meyer JK, Reter DJ. Sex reassignment. Follow-up. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1979;36:1010-5. [PMID: 464739] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Warling A, Keuroghlian AS. Clinician-level implications of bans on gender-affirming medical care for youth in the US. JAMA Pediatr. 2022. [PMID: 35939318] doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2022.2771 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. Tervalon M, Murray-García J. Cultural humility versus cultural competence: a critical distinction in defining physician training outcomes in multicultural education [Editorial]. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 1998;9:117-25. [PMID: 10073197] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. Morenz AM, Goldhammer H, Lambert CA, et al. A blueprint for planning and implementing a transgender health program. Ann Fam Med. 2020;18:73-9. [PMID: 31937536] doi:10.1370/afm.2473 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. McDowell MJ, Goldhammer H, Potter JE, et al. Strategies to mitigate clinician implicit bias against sexual and gender minority patients. Psychosomatics. 2020 Nov-Dec;61:655-61. [PMID: 32641233] doi:10.1016/j.psym.2020.04.021 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. Almazan AN, King D, Grasso C, et al. Sexual orientation and gender identity data collection at US health centers: impact of city-level structural stigma in 2018. Am J Public Health. 2021;111:2059-63. [PMID: 34499534] doi:10.2105/AJPH.2021.306414 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. Liu M, Sandhu S, Keuroghlian AS. Achieving the triple aim for sexual and gender minorities. N Engl J Med. 2022;387:294-7. [PMID: 35866741] doi:10.1056/NEJMp2204569 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: The Fenway Institute, Harvard Medical School, and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MassachusettsCallen-Lorde Community Health Center and NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New YorkDisclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M22-2636.Corresponding Author: Alex S. Keuroghlian, MD, MPH; e-mail, [email protected]org.This article was published at Annals.org on 4 October 2022. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoThe Fall of the Nation's First Gender-Affirming Surgery Clinic Walker J. Magrath Metrics October 2022Volume 175, Issue 10Page: 1483-1484KeywordsGender identityIntrauterine devicesObstetrics and gynecologyPlastic surgerySexual identitySurgery ePublished: 4 October 2022 Issue Published: October 2022 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2022 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...